The Science of Cats: An Uncommon Course

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation US that spotlights unconventional ways of teaching.

The Science of Cats course

Course title: "The Science of Cats"

What inspired the course?

I am an evolutionary biologist, and my career has focused on the evolution of small Caribbean lizards. Although I have loved cats all my life, I had never considered studying domestic cats scientifically.

They are difficult animals to investigate – have you ever tried following your cat to find out what it is up to? Unlike lions, tigers and other extensively researched wild felines, I had assumed there was no particularly compelling research into the domestic member of the cat family, Felis catus.

That assumption proved entirely mistaken 12 years ago. John Bradshaw's book "Cat Sense" and the BBC programme "The Secret Life of the Cat" showed me that ailurologists were applying the same state-of-the-art techniques – GPS tracking, genome sequencing and isotopic analysis – to domestic cats that I use for lizards, and that other scientists employ to study countless other animals.

That discovery led to my course on the science of cats. I could attract students through their affection for felines and then, before they realised it, teach them how scientists investigate biodiversity – including ecology, evolution, genetics and behaviour.

Cats: their past, present and future

What does the course cover?

Fundamentally, the module examines cats' past, present and future: their origins, the reasons for their behaviour and what may lie ahead for them. Crucially, it also considers how we know these things – in other words, the methods scientists use to answer questions of this kind.

At the end of the course, students produce either an original paper or a short documentary. Their work has addressed an enormous variety of biological subjects and wider issues, including cats' effects on bird populations; sexism and the crazy cat lady stereotype; the positive and negative health consequences of living with felines; hybridisation as either a creative or limiting influence on evolution; the top-down role of larger predators, such as coyotes and dingoes, in regulating cat numbers; and the potential for emerging genetic technologies to produce allergen-free cats or reduce free-roaming cat populations.

The students were not the only people who began writing about cats. The course and its themes unexpectedly prompted me to write my own book, "The Cat's Meow: How Cats Evolved from the Savanna to Your Sofa."

Why cat research matters

Why is the course relevant today?

As the world changes rapidly, society needs more scientists who study biodiversity. Cats raise scientific questions with wide relevance and can provide an accessible entry point into biological research.

What is a key lesson of the course?

Meaningful research into the natural world does not demand journeys to distant places. Studying familiar animals nearby – including pets in the home – can deliver significant advances in both fundamental and applied knowledge.

Which materials and experiences feature in the course?

Alongside reading scientific papers, students took enjoyable and revealing field trips. At dawn, we accompanied an advocate for homeless cats as they fed unowned felines in a neglected area of the city.

We also explored cats in antiquity with an Egyptologist, visited a cat show to appreciate the range of breeds, watched wild felines at Saint Louis Zoo and studied depictions of cats in art at university museums.

What will students be prepared to do?

Research on cats enables students to recognise how scientific concepts apply to animals they know well and care about deeply. The course asks them to bring together knowledge from many fields while considering contemporary, real-world disputes, including how outdoor cats should be managed and the ethics of breeding.

Jonathan Losos, William H. Danforth Distinguished University Professor, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.